Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility

A fascinating meditation on life as a contest of games to be completed and games to be continued--and on what lies beyond winning and losing. 000000-front......Page 1 FAIG0001......Page 2 FAIG0002......Page 3 FAIG0003......Page 4 FAIG0004......Page 5 FAIG0005......Page 6 FAIG0006......Page 7 FAIG0007......Page 8 FAIG0008......Page 9 FAIG0009......Page 10 FAIG0010......Page 11 FAIG0011......Page 12 FAIG0012......Page 13 FAIG0013......Page 14 FAIG0014......Page 15 FAIG0015......Page 16 FAIG0016......Page 17 FAIG0017......Page 18 FAIG0018......Page 19 FAIG0019......Page 20 FAIG0020......Page 21 FAIG0021......Page 22 FAIG0022......Page 23 FAIG0023......Page 24 FAIG0024......Page 25 FAIG0025......Page 26 FAIG0026......Page 27 FAIG0027......Page 28 FAIG0028......Page 29 FAIG0029......Page 30 FAIG0030......Page 31 FAIG0031......Page 32 FAIG0032......Page 33 FAIG0033......Page 34 FAIG0034......Page 35 FAIG0035......Page 36 FAIG0036......Page 37 FAIG0037......Page 38 FAIG0038......Page 39 FAIG0039......Page 40 FAIG0040......Page 41 FAIG0041......Page 42 FAIG0042......Page 43 FAIG0043......Page 44 FAIG0044......Page 45 FAIG0045......Page 46 FAIG0046......Page 47 FAIG0047......Page 48 FAIG0048......Page 49 FAIG0049......Page 50 FAIG0050......Page 51 FAIG0051......Page 52 FAIG0052......Page 53 FAIG0053......Page 54 FAIG0054......Page 55 FAIG0055......Page 56 FAIG0056......Page 57 FAIG0057......Page 58 FAIG0058......Page 59 FAIG0059......Page 60 FAIG0060......Page 61 FAIG0061......Page 62 FAIG0064......Page 63 FAIG0065......Page 64 FAIG0066......Page 65 FAIG0067......Page 66 FAIG0068......Page 67 FAIG0069......Page 68 FAIG0070......Page 69 FAIG0071......Page 70 FAIG0072......Page 71 FAIG0073......Page 72 FAIG0074......Page 73 FAIG0075......Page 74 FAIG0076......Page 75 FAIG0077......Page 76 FAIG0078......Page 77 FAIG0079......Page 78 FAIG0080......Page 79 FAIG0081......Page 80 FAIG0082......Page 81 FAIG0083......Page 82 FAIG0084......Page 83 FAIG0085......Page 84 FAIG0086......Page 85 FAIG0087......Page 86 FAIG0088......Page 87 FAIG0089......Page 88 FAIG0090......Page 89 FAIG0091......Page 90 FAIG0092......Page 91 FAIG0093......Page 92 FAIG0094......Page 93 FAIG0095......Page 94 FAIG0096......Page 95 FAIG0097......Page 96 FAIG0098......Page 97 FAIG0099......Page 98 FAIG0100......Page 99 FAIG0101......Page 100 FAIG0102......Page 101 FAIG0103......Page 102 FAIG0104......Page 103 FAIG0105......Page 104 FAIG0106......Page 105 FAIG0107......Page 106 FAIG0108......Page 107 FAIG0109......Page 108 FAIG0110......Page 109 FAIG0111......Page 110 FAIG0112......Page 111 FAIG0113......Page 112 FAIG0114......Page 113 FAIG0115......Page 114 FAIG0116......Page 115 FAIG0117......Page 116 FAIG0118......Page 117 FAIG0119......Page 118 FAIG0120......Page 119 FAIG0121......Page 120 FAIG0122......Page 121 FAIG0123......Page 122 FAIG0124......Page 123 FAIG0125......Page 124 FAIG0126......Page 125 FAIG0127......Page 126 FAIG0128......Page 127 FAIG0129......Page 128 FAIG0130......Page 129 FAIG0131......Page 130 FAIG0132......Page 131 FAIG0133......Page 132 FAIG0134......Page 133 FAIG0135......Page 134 FAIG0136......Page 135 FAIG0137......Page 136 FAIG0138......Page 137 FAIG0139......Page 138 FAIG0140......Page 139 FAIG0141......Page 140 FAIG0142......Page 141 FAIG0143......Page 142 FAIG0144......Page 143 FAIG0145......Page 144 FAIG0146......Page 145 FAIG0147......Page 146 FAIG0148......Page 147 FAIG0149......Page 148 FAIG0150......Page 149 FAIG0151......Page 150 FAIG0152......Page 151 FAIG0153......Page 152 FAIG0154......Page 153 FAIG0155......Page 154 FAIG0156......Page 155 FAIG0157......Page 156 FAIG0158......Page 157 FAIG0159......Page 158 FAIG0160......Page 159 ZZZZZZ-back......Page 160 There Are At Least Two Kinds Of Games, States James P. Carse As He Begins This Extraordinary Book. One Could Be Called Finite; The Other Infinite. Finite Games Are The Familiar Contests Of Everyday Life; They Are Played In Order To Be Won, Which Is When They End. But Infinite Games Are More Mysterious. Their Object Is Not Winning, But Ensuring The Continuation Of Play. The Rules May Change, The Boundaries May Change, Even The Participants May Change--as Long As The Game Is Never Allowed To Come To An End. What Are Infinite Games? How Do They Affect The Ways We Play Our Finite Games? What Are We Doing When We Play--finitely Or Infinitely? And How Can Infinite Games Affect The Ways In Which We Live Our Lives? Carse Explores These Questions With Stunning Elegance, Teasing Out Of His Distinctions A Universe Of Observation And Insight, Noting Where And Why And How We Play, Finitely And Infinitely. He Surveys Our World--from The Finite Games Of The Playing Field And Playing Board To The Infinite Games Found In Culture And Religion--leaving All We Think We Know Illuminated And Transformed. Along The Way, Carse Finds New Ways Of Understanding Everything, From How An Actress Portrays A Role To How We Engage In Sex, From The Nature Of Evil To The Nature Of Science. Finite Games, He Shows, May Offer Wealth And Status, Power And Glory, But Infinite Games Offer Something Far More Subtle And Far Grander. Carse Has Written A Book Rich In Insight And Aphorism. Already An International Literary Event, Finite And Infinite Games Is Certain To Be Argued About And Celebrated For Years To Come. Reading It Is The First Step In Learning To Play The Infinite Game. There Are At Least Two Kinds Of Games -- No One Can Play A Game Alone -- I Am The Genius Of Myself -- A Finite Game Occurs Within A World -- Nature Is The Realm Of The Unspeakable -- We Control Nature For Societal Reasons -- Myth Provokes Explanation But Accepts None Of It. James P. Carse. Includes Index. Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefield — games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are the more mysterious — and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom. -- from the back cover of the 1986 edition.